Julius Adam II "Kitten Symphony" Oil Painting, ca. 1885

Value (2016) |
$8,000Auction
–
$12,000Auction

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GUEST: It's been in my family since I was a young child. It hung in the bedroom of my parents' home, and then I ended up with it. We've sort of just taken it for granted or not really paid much attention to it, and then last minute, I decided to bring it in today and see what you could tell me about it.

APPRAISER: It's an interesting painting of cats, and cats are a theme that you see in art going all the way back to antiquity and right through to the present. One of the things that's interesting about the painting is it's signed, of course, here.

GUEST: Right.

APPRAISER: And the artist is Julius Adam. There's a little bit of confusion because when you look at the plaque that's put on the frame...

GUEST: Right.

APPRAISER: ...it says "Kitten Symphony" is the title, and then it says "Julius Adam," and it says "1826" to "1874." Julius Adam is the name of two painters.
There was a father and a son. Julius Adam Senior...

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: ...is the artist whose dates comport with what's on the plaque.

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: Julius Adam II is the artist we believe painted your picture. And Julius Adam II, who is from Munich, Germany, was born in 1852 and died in 1913. I don't think there was any intention to deceive. Julius Adam the son studied under the father...

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: ...and like his father was a cat painter. His father tended to paint a little bit more equestrian themes than cat-related themes. Somebody has put on the title "Kitten Symphony"...

GUEST: Right.

APPRAISER: ...which was probably added later. The painting is an oil on canvas. While the artist did go to Rio for a period of time, this was most likely painted in
Germany in the late 1800s. This kind of theme is very popular today. You have auction houses that have auctions just of cat themes, just of dog themes.

GUEST: Really?

APPRAISER: There's a strong market for works by Adam, and if offered today at auction, your painting would be worth $8,000 to $12,000.

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This #TeacherAppreciationWeek, we're watching a Civil War teacher's archive appraisal with an incredible story involving the bravery of "contraband scholars" and the perils of education in a war zone.
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